About 30 people were arrested for civil disobedience in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic in a two-day standoff over mining at a natural landmark site, the republic's human rights ombudswoman, Zulfira Gaisina, told Sputnik on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2020) About 30 people were arrested for civil disobedience in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic in a two-day standoff over mining at a natural landmark site, the republic's human rights ombudswoman, Zulfira Gaisina, told Sputnik on Monday.
Local residents and environmental activists spent several days protesting near the Kushtau shihan, one of four unique limestone hills that symbolize the central Russian republic, against the Bashkir Soda Company (BSC) mining in the area. The head of the republic, Radi Khabirov, promised that all the work on the mountain would be suspended until a compromise is found.
"There is information that the Ishimbay City Court has already levied several administrative protocols in relation to those detained on Kushtau, about 30 of them were arrested from one day to 15 days," Gaisina told Sputnik, adding that they were charged with disobeying law enforcement officers.
Images circulated by local media show civilians forming a human chain pitted against land-working vehicles and police officers.
The four shihans in the Republic of Bashkortostan are part of ancient ocean reefs and are made of limestone. Very little is left of one of the shihans Shakhtau which the soda company has been developing for decades. The limestone reserves there will run out soon and the BSC is looking for a replacement. The company said in the past that Tratau would be the best fit, but that shihan is protected under environmental law. The regional authorities suggested Kushtau to the company and made the remaining two shihans part of a nature reserve. However, the environmental activists were not ready to give up any of the hills.
Many people who live in the region and elsewhere in Russia consider shihans to be signature landmarks of Bashkortostan. According to some scientists, the Bashkirs used to consider these hills sacred. Meanwhile, biologists point to the richness of the flora and fauna of the shihans.
